Talk to the admissions people at your school -- they really do want transfers to enjoy the experience.

Previous transfer students at my new school provided excellent feedback to the administration, and it really has paid off for current transfer students. The administration has been great and really have welcomed us to the school well.

That said, I also have not had a single negative experience in terms of the whole "transfer stigma." I had heard things about it, but I think it really was more of something that made me feel uncomfortable when first meeting people (as I couldn't talk about first year profs and didn't have the same shared experiences of other 2Ls). Anyway, the more people I got to know, the easier it was. People have been incredibly welcoming and not one person has treated me as if I don't belong at "their school."

Rounding to the hundredths is certainly much more acceptable than rounding to the tenths. There's not much difference between a 3.56 and a 3.57, but there's a fairly significant difference between a 3.5 and a 3.6.

My school doesn't allow us to round at all, which is good because rounding is a little shady. But you absolutely can't round to the tenths. How could you even think that would be ok?

My school told us to round to the tenths. If your school tells you that something is okay, I'd imagine that you'd think it was okay. If a school thinks it's okay, I don't see why it's so ridiculous for law students to think it's okay.

That's fine and all that your school said that, and it will probably shield you from getting into any sort of serious trouble, but I still wouldn't do it. A firm is going to see your transcript, and if it doesn't match, they're not only going to use the actual GPA in making their hiring decision, but they're also probably going to think a bit less of you as a person.

I'm sorry but if your school tells you to do something, you do it. You don't say, "Well, gee, I'm a first-year law student, I think I know more than you do." My school did not suggest it, they said "do it."

Of course, I will also point out that this only applies to undergrad GPAs because my school did not have GPA (or grades).

Rounding to the hundredths is certainly much more acceptable than rounding to the tenths. There's not much difference between a 3.56 and a 3.57, but there's a fairly significant difference between a 3.5 and a 3.6.

My school doesn't allow us to round at all, which is good because rounding is a little shady. But you absolutely can't round to the tenths. How could you even think that would be ok?

My school told us to round to the tenths. If your school tells you that something is okay, I'd imagine that you'd think it was okay. If a school thinks it's okay, I don't see why it's so ridiculous for law students to think it's okay.

God this is so not the way it really is. Law school drama is like high school drama times 10 its a freaking gossip mill on steroids. You see the same people every day in every class for a year and that who you will talk about outside of class too. You will know who hooked up with who, who puked on who’s sofa, who smoked weed and that will be just after the first day of orientation. Get drunk and stupid with your towny friends, not with your classmates unless you really want everyone to know your business with in 24 hours. True story: girl in my section got drunk told another girl her deepest secrete that she had a fetish for getting peed on during sex, she is to this day know as “water sports girl” by the entire school.

Seriously? I really did not have this experience. Rumors do spread quickly, but that happens everywhere. There really wasn't high school level drama, from what I witnessed.

1. Freshman 15 -- I tend to gain weight when stressed, and I've already had to adjust my jean measurements. I switched from straight leg to boot cut and I don't want to go all the way to relaxed fit. Don't even get me started on cargo pants. I'll probably play oompa loompa in order to discourage food abuse.

A lot of people do gain weight in law school, but to avoid it you just need a good routine. I knew that I was going to end up eating out at lunch a lot, so I found food options that weren't too calorie heavy. I also walked about 15-20 minutes each direction to school (which with the enormous law school backpack) got enough exercise in for me and kept me pretty relaxed.

Beyond this, I actually didn't think the vast majority of 1L year was stressful. For the most part, you are reading and going to class. Yes, finals are incredibly stressful, but you have to remember that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Keep on track throughout the semester, and it really won't be that stressful.

2. I won't like the material -- I worked through vault books about legal practice and litigation/transactional work, but I'm still scared that I won't like property, torts, contracts, and company. If I won't like them, then that doesn't bode well for my ambitions. Am I correct? A few lawyers told me that you don't have to like LS in order to like legal practice.

I was worried about this, too, but actually the materials are really interesting. You read cases, and cases are basically stories. Some cases are extremely boring, but for the most part, your reading will interest you.

3. Drama -- I hate drama. I'm going to try to hang on the down-low for the first quarter until I understand the social scene. Luckily, I have friends in the city from college, and they're generally willing to sip expensive German bocks while discussing Nietzsche.

I think that law school has a little less drama because people have less time to get all that worked out about stuff. There are points during the year when having a social life is impossible. There will be times when nobody has heard from you in weeks. When you do have time to relax and unwind, you're really not going to want any added stress. I think there's a general consensus to that effect.

If you were taken off the waitlist at your dream school a few days before classes started, how would you sort through the financial aid and loan stage fast enough to know if attending that law school is feasible?

A friend of mine was accepted off of the waitlist during the second day of orientation. The school was very flexible and understanding about her getting loans and financial aid in order. Basically, the schools know that these things don't magically happen just because you've gotten accepted.

I was accepted as a transfer to a new law school this year (found out in June), and I already had my loans in order for the fall at my old law school. My loans did not just transfer over -- I had to cancel my loans with old law school and reapply for loans with new law school. It wasn't a big deal, but it had to be done. (Note: these were the federal loans and the plus loan -- all done through direct loans at both schools.)